Best of 2012: DJ Cupcake

If you are not familiar with my show, I spun the tunes Sunday nights since CR’s inception in 2011 while somewhere in the midst landing a job at nation’s oldest continuously operating recording studio. Juggling the two tasks along with school was character building to say the least, but completely rewarding nonetheless.

After a great run on Coog Radio, it is time for me to spread my DJ wings and fly to greener pastures, but not before sharing this year’s best in music with CR listeners. 

Best on-air interview: Austin Smith from A Sea Es

I had the privilege to conduct several interviews with local artists on my show, but Austin’s definitely stuck with me. Getting to know him both in- and outside of the studio gave me a lot of insight as to how the interview might be — but I certainly wasn’t prepared for the shenanigans that would soon occur. We played songs from his debut album while having more than a few interesting interactions with familiar listeners. Also great about this record is that (you can go ahead and call me biased for this one) I am featured for a cool three seconds on the track Big Grin showing off my ability to give someone a verbal-middle finger in Spanish.

https://soundcloud.com/a-sea-es/big-grin

Most Attractive local band – New York City Queens

In juggling my many music business-hats, I also got the chance to know the New York City Queens. They released their second album this year and welcomed drummer Isaac Chavez-Garza, who definitely had a role in solidifying these five as Houston’s Finest. I mean look at them — they’re gorgeous. Not a bad apple in the bunch, and the same is true for their tunes. Here’s their latest video for the single Waited For You.

Coog Radio’s most bittersweet loss: FAT TONY

I can still recall the days of scrambling for DJs to come spin a track or two for us at CR. One applicant definitely shined out of the bunch — Houston’s own Fat Tony. He was gracious enough to lend his time to the station when it existed only as an idea. Though we were sad to see him go, his departure in pursuit of bigger and better things has not been in vain. After criss-crossing the country and finding a new hub — he calls the Williamsburg suburb of Brooklyn, NY home these days — Fat Tony is still cranking out the jams. Here’s his latest collaboration with Tom Cruz paying homage to his new hood: BKNY.

Most forwarded viral video to my inbox: OK CUPID Kitty Pryde

She’s not a local lady, but Kitty Pryde’s single ended up in my inbox quite a few times, most often accompanied with a note from the sender asking if we knew each other. I mean, the similarities are definitely there. Both of us are cupcake-obsessed, Lisa Frank-sporting Mac users who spend their free time drinking cheap beer and listening to Frank Ocean. So for the record: I don’t know Kitty Pryde. (But if she’s reading this — Alex, we should totes hang…and bring Danny Brown, too.)

Most hilarious set of Tweets: Snoop Dogg Lion Dogg’s name change response.

I was willing to accept Snoop’s erractic name change after deciding he wanted to do the reggae thing, although I did find it very Prince/P. Diddy of him. When my eyes had the greatest pleasure of seeing the tweets explaining why he tossed ‘Lion’ and returned to his OG moniker Snoop Dogg, I had to fight to keep the water I was drinking from coming out of my nose.

Album of the Year: Channel Orange

There was a good portion of 2012 that was devoted solely to listening to Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange.  I clearly wasn’t the only one who was completely taken by this album, as Ocean is in the running for an impressive six Grammys, even earning the game-changing Album of the Year nomination. There’s really nothing more I can say about this album that more prestigious music bloggers haven’t expressed already (so much about his career and personal life has been written this year that there’s not much left to cover) but I will leave you with his visually-stimulating and thought-provoking video for the song “Pyramids.”

http://vimeo.com/49497576